As a lifelong beer enthusiast, my beer drinking habits are a little different than they are for most people, and may be worth your examination. I almost never drink the same beer twice in a night. I'll generally start with a lager or pale ale, then work my way to gradually heavier bodied beers, perhaps next a bock or brown ale, then maybe an IPA, porter, stout, etc. To do this, I need to have a variety of beers on hand. Hence the birth of the DBR, or Dedicated Beer Refrigerator as I call it. I have two of them, each holding about two cases (they are always full), and I also usually have a few cases in our full-sized fridge, plus various beers warm-aging in my bedroom. There will always be a great variety of beers from my area and my travels. Some beers will come and go, but you will always find various Long Trail beers somewhere in my stash.

The label states that Long Trail India Pale Ale is "very, very hoppy." The brewery further qualifies the beer by saying that "We believe this brew to be the hoppiest brew in the States." I believe that to be an overstatement, but this is a well-made IPA. This well-carbonated, bright orange brew sports a thick creamy head and a spicy, peppery hop nose. As the beer flows across the tongue, a floral hop beginning is soon followed by a smooth malt segue into a huge, grapefruity bitter finish that lingers on the tongue and just won't quit. Based on comparison with past tastings of this beer, it seems that the hop level definitely has been bumped up. Well worth "taking a hike" for!

Tonight I'm pairing this with a spicy chicken curry, packed with onions and served over rice. A match made in Vermont.



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